From Publishers Weekly
Pacheco (Fight Doctor), who is now a color commentator for boxing on TV, was Muhammad Ali's personal physician from 1963 to 1977. This captivating memoir, however, contains nothing about the fight game, but recalls growing up in Ybor City, the Hispanic enclave of Tampa, from 1935 to 1945, when the nation was coming out of the Depression and fighting WWII. Pacheco's self-described "light-hearted reminiscence" is full of memorable characters, most of them more Spanish or Cuban in their attitudes and mores than mainstream American. It portrays relatives, friends and storied eccentrics, including the author's pharmacist father, J.B., the absolute master of the house, tough and demanding but also loving and supportive. Pacheco, an artist as well as a physician, supplements the many photos here with numerous delightful drawings. The result is a most appealing volume.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Don't be misled by Chronicles in the title; this is Pacheco's lively, perceptive account of his teen years (1935-45) in the Tampa, Florida, area. Ybor City's inhabitants were mostly Spanish, Cuban, and Italian, and most of them seemed to be involved in the cigar and restaurant businesses. Pacheco tells about the lectors or readers in the cigar factories, who often played the roles of city intellectuals. And talk about an extended family! The term is an understatement when applied to the endless grandparents, aunts and uncles, and more-or-less cousins that keep popping up as movie ushers, waiters, and general supporters for those in need. Further, Pacheco's word pictures of and deeply felt comments on his abuelita (grandmother) will be remembered by virtually every reader. Pacheco's layered career as pharmacist, physician, artist, writer, and TV star began at the University of Tampa--briefly because "what the university lacked in scholastic talent, it could never make up in athletics." Pacheco's drawings and paintings as well as photos add delightful definition and atmosphere to his recollections. William Beatty
